4 Hong Kong residents arrested and HK$6.7 million worth of crystal meth seized in police crackdown on syndicate
- Seized methamphetamine was disguised as tea and smuggled into the city from overseas, chief inspector says
- Suspects were thought to be part of triad-controlled syndicate that used public housing flat to store drugs
Hong Kong police arrested four residents and seized HK$6.7 million (US$853,490) worth of crystal meth in a public housing flat on Tuesday in a crackdown on a triad-controlled drug trafficking syndicate.
Chief Inspector Hui Chung-hang of the anti-triad squad of Kowloon West police region said the investigation suggested the 10.6kg (23lbs) haul of suspected methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth, was disguised as tea and smuggled into the city from overseas.
The illegal narcotic was uncovered in a public housing flat at Choi Yuen Estate in Sheung Shui during a police raid in the morning. Police believed the flat was used as a storage facility.
“Most of the seized drug was found in 10 tea bags. Each contained about 900 grams [31 ounces] of the narcotic,” Hui said.
He added the confiscated drug had an estimated street value of HK$6.7 million.
Inside the flat, officers arrested two men and two women on suspicion of trafficking in a dangerous drug.
He said police struck a blow to the triad-controlled syndicate’s income and prevented the drug from circulating in the city’s underground market.
